1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for generating cohorts. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for processing video input to generate cohorts based on size and shape attributes of objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cohort is a group of objects that share a common attribute or experience. For example, a group of people born in 1980 may form a birth cohort. The information that is needed or wanted to identify attributes of potential members of a cohort may be voluminous, dynamically changing, unavailable, difficult to collect, and/or unknown to the member of the cohort and/or the user selecting members of a cohort. Moreover, it may be difficult, time consuming, or impractical for an individual to access all the information necessary to accurately generate cohorts. Thus, unique cohorts may be sub-optimal because individuals lack the skills, time, knowledge, and/or expertise needed to gather cohort attribute information from available sources.
Moreover, information distinguishing the dimensions and shape of objects is frequently useful in a variety of fields. For example, it may be important to determine the size and/or weight of an object to determine whether the size of a storage space is large enough to accommodate the particular object. The size and/or shape of an object may be determined by a human using the human sense of sight, knowledge, and manual measurement techniques, such as measuring an object with a tape measure, scales, or other measuring devices. However, this method is limited by the human ability to perceive and may be time consuming.